Denmark, Germany, and Nordics Reinforce Greenland Amid US Pressure

During the night of January 15, a Lockheed C-130 Hercules aircraft carrying Danish military personnel landed at the Danish Armed Forces command center near Nuuk, the capital of Greenland. French officers and soldiers were also on board, according to reports.

At roughly the same time, another Danish aircraft landed in Kangerlussuaq in western Greenland. Both aircraft reportedly flew with their identification systems switched off.

German, Nordic Forces Prepare to Join Mission

Later on Thursday, the first 13 German soldiers are expected to arrive in Greenland as part of a two-day reconnaissance mission. According to the German Ministry of Defense, the Bundeswehr aims to assess possible forms of military involvement to support Denmark in ensuring regional security, including maritime surveillance.

Sweden and Norway have also announced plans to send their troops to the island.

Deployment Outside NATO Framework

According to Bild, the mission is being coordinated directly from Copenhagen rather than through NATO structures, and the United States is not participating. Preparations for the deployment reportedly took several days and were conducted in secrecy amid recent statements by Donald Trump.

The first units were sent to Greenland only after negotiations between Denmark, Greenland, and the United States at the White House ended without results.

Failed Talks and US Claims Over Greenland

Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen described the January 14 meeting as frank and constructive but said no agreement was reached. He noted that the position of the United States, which seeks to "appropriate” Greenland, remained unchanged.

Trump insists that the island is vital for US national security and has claimed that Denmark would be powerless if Russia or China attempted to occupy Greenland.

A Century and a Half of US Interest

US efforts to acquire Greenland span more than 150 years. After the purchase of Alaska from the Russian Empire in 1867, US Secretary of State William Seward seriously considered buying Greenland and Iceland, viewing the territory as strategically important due to its resources, including coal. No formal offer was made at the time.

In 1910, under President William Taft, American diplomats discussed a territorial exchange that could have transferred Greenland to the United States, but Denmark rejected the idea. In 1917, however, the US purchased the Danish West Indies, now the US Virgin Islands, for $25 million.

Following World War II, Greenland's military significance became evident. In 1946, the administration of President Harry Truman officially offered Denmark $100 million in gold for the island, calling it useless to Denmark but essential to US security. Denmark refused but allowed the establishment of the Pituffik, or Thule, base in 1951. The offer remained secret until 1991.

Trump Revives the Issue

Trump first publicly raised the idea of buying Greenland in August 2019 during his first term. He later described the proposal as strategically interesting and likened it to a major real estate deal. The remarks triggered a diplomatic scandal after Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen called the idea absurd, prompting Trump to cancel a planned visit to Denmark.

After his reelection, Trump again made Greenland a priority. In December 2024, he called control of the island an absolute necessity for national security.

In January 2026, Trump reaffirmed his intention to take control of Greenland, even allowing for the use of force, and appointed Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry as special envoy for Greenland. Landry claimed that Denmark occupied the island after World War II in violation of UN norms and said Greenland should treat the United States with hospitality rather than hostility.

"History matters. The United States defended Greenland's sovereignty during World War II when Denmark could not. After the war, Denmark reoccupied it while bypassing and ignoring UN protocol,” Landry said.

Claims of Foreign Threats Disputed

On January 11, Trump told journalists aboard his aircraft that the United States would gain control of Greenland "one way or another.” He claimed the island's defense relied on "two dog sleds” despite the presence of Russian and Chinese cruisers and submarines.

"Did you know that? Two. Dog. Sleds. And at the same time there are Russian cruisers and submarines and Chinese cruisers and submarines. We cannot allow that,” Trump said.

However, Greenland residents told Financial Times that they had not observed any Russian or Chinese vessels near the island, contradicting Trump's claims of a growing threat from Moscow and Beijing.

"I have never seen any Russians or Chinese here,” said fisherman Helte Johansen, who has worked along Greenland's coast for nearly 40 years.